Spring attachment for doubletrees.



No. 745,0 4. PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903.

T HOLRITZ. SPRING ATTACHMENT FOR DOUBLETEEES.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 27, 1903 N0 MODEL.

El vwwwto'c- UNITED STATES Patented November 24, 1903.

PATENT EErcE.

SPRING ATTACHMENT FOR DOUBLETREES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 745,014, dated November24, 1903. Application filed August 27, 1903. Serial No, 170,966. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ANDREW HOLRITZ, a citizen of the United States,residing at Noel, in the county of Morton and State of North Dakota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring Attachmentsfor Doubletrees; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertainsto make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in springattachments for whiifletrees comprising means whereby a sudden jar orjerk upon a vehicle may be taken up by suitable springs, thus relievingthe shoulders of horses from the force of the jerking.

More specifically, the invention comprises a clevis member which ismounted upon each end of an evener and provided with elongated slots inthe longitudinal portions of the clevis in which guide members carriedby the evener work and in the provision of a rod projecting from theevener and on which is mounted a spring adapted to bear between theevener and a plate at the end of the clevis, the latter being adapted tobe attached to a whiffietree and so arranged as to yield to a suddenjerk or jar.

My invention consists further, in various details of construction andcombinations and arrangements of parts, which will be hereinafter fullydescribed and then specifically defined in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, withthe letters of reference marked thereon, form a part I of thisapplication, and in which-- Figure 1 is a top plan View showing myinvention as applied to an evener and to which whiffletrees areconnected. Fig. 2 is a a sectional View of line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isa sectional view of line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. at

is an enlarged detail of the guide-plate with integral threaded projectionsholdingthe ends of the clevis, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailperspective of the clevis member.

Reference now being had to the details of drawings.

the drawings by letter, A designates an evener, which in Fig. 1 is shownas attached in the usual manner to a shaft B. Mounted adjacent to eachend of the evener is a plate 0, which has lugs C projecting from theopposite faces thereof, and countersunken in the rear edge of the eveneris the head D of a rod D, which passes through an aperture in the plate0, as shown in Fig. 2 of the Said plate 0 is fastened to the evener byany suitable means and securely holds the head of the rod in the mannerdescribed.

E designates a clevis made up of two pieces,

v oneof which (designated by letter F) has an elongated slot F thereinand a hook-shaped end F to which the second member G of the clevis ishinged. Said member Gr also has an elongated slot G, and each sectionhas an aperture K for the reception of the threaded screws H, which areeither integral with or secured to the apertured guide-block ll, adetail view of which is shown in Fig. at of the drawings. Saidguide-block when adjusted in place assumes the position shown in Fig.20f the drawings, in which the screw portions, oppositely disposed, passthrough the apertures K in the ends of the clevis-sections and areengaged by nuts N, whereby the two portions of the clevis member may beheld parallel to each other. A spring Q is mounted upon the rod D andone end bears against the plate I and the other against the plate G andis provided for the purpose of normally holding the clevis in theposition shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, but allowing the clevis toyield upon a sudden jerking from any cause. The hooked end F is adaptedto receive a hook R of the whifiietree S (shown in Fig. 2 of thedrawings) when the device is adjusted for use.

In operation a ring or chain of any kind may be caught inside theclevis-hook before the plate is inserted in place and a strain comingupon animals which are connected to the whiffletrees will be equalizedand the sudden jerk incident to the starting of a vehicle will be takenup by the spring, thus relieving the strain which would come upon theshoulders or necks of the animals hitched to the vehicle equipped withmy improved apparatus.

Vhile 1 have shown a particular construction of apparatus illustratingmy spring attachment for eveners, it will be understood that I may makealterations in the detailed construction of the same, if desired,without in any way departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A spring attachment for eveners comprising in combination with anevener, a plate secured at each end thereof and provided withoppositely-disposed lugs, a clevis fitted over each end of the evenerhaving elongated slots for the reception of said lugs, a rod secured toeach end of the evener, a plate fastened to the ends of the clevis, anda spring interposed between the evener and said plate,as set forth.

2. A spring attachment for eveners comprising in combination with anevener, metallic plates bent about one edge thereof and adjacent to eachend of the evener, lugs projecting in opposite directions from saidplate, a

rod passing through said plate, and having ahead held bythe plate tosaid evener, a clevis passing about the end of the evener, a plate heldto the ends of the clevis, and a spring interposed between said plateand evener, as set forth.

3. A spring attachment for eveners comprising in combination with theevener,a plate secured at each end thereof, a rod with a head held bysaid plate to the evener, a clevis made up of two sections hingedtogether, one section of the clevis being bent to form a hook and theother hinged thereto, each section having an elongated slot, anapertured plate having lugs engaging the ends of said clevis, lugsprojecting from the plate secured to the evener adapted to be guided insaid slots, and a spring interposed between the evener and saidapertured plate, as set forth.

4. A spring attachment for eveners comprising in combination with theevener, a plate secured thereto and having lugs projecting therefrom inopposite directions, a rod held by said plate to the evener, a clevismade up of two sections, one of which is bent to form a hook and theother section hinged thereto, each section of the clevis havingelongated slots, and apertured ends, a plate centrally apertured,provided with oppositely-disposed screws adapted for engagement with theapertures in the ends of the clevis-sections, nuts mounted upon saidscrews, and a spring interposed between the screw-carrying plate and theevener, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affiX my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

ANDREW HOLRITZ.

Witnesses z OHAs. PICKER, CHAS. ADLEMANN.

